Egypt breaking down?

Egypt has been struggling economically for some time and has had food riots at a couple of points. Since the "Arab Spring" and throwing out Mubarak, their tourism industry (one of their primary sources of income) has dried up. Now the government (which heavily subsidizes food) is saying that people who already feel that they don't have enough will have to cut back on what they eat.

We are watching something unique and terrible in modern history, namely the disintegration of a society of 80 million people, with the prospect of real hunger–a self-made famine brought about by social and political disaster rather than crop failure or war.

This doesn't seem too far off from what has been going on in North Korea, though it is much more recent and on a much larger scale.

I always thought that stupidity should hurt. They got the government that they sought, so let them deal with it. If there is a segment of their society that doesnt want to live under sharia, then let them stand up and fight for their freedom. We need to stay totally out of it. If they starve, oh well.

I always thought that stupidity should hurt. They got the government that they sought, so let them deal with it. If there is a segment of their society that doesnt want to live under sharia, then let them stand up and fight for their freedom. We need to stay totally out of it. If they starve, oh well.

I always thought that stupidity should hurt. They got the government that they sought, so let them deal with it. If there is a segment of their society that doesnt want to live under sharia, then let them stand up and fight for their freedom. We need to stay totally out of it. If they starve, oh well.

I don't think they got the government they sought.. they got rid of one bad government but did not really have a system in place to replace it..

Food issues have been a problem in Egypt for decades. They're not going to starve. The main problem is that the market can't stabilise, and Egypt imports huge amounts of grain. The government's subsidies are, sadly, a necessity and part of the problem. There's just too much poverty in Egypt and always has been, regardless of who's in power. This is nothing new, neither are food riots. If they ever get it together enough they might be able to spread their farming out of the thin area it currently resides in. Hard to farm in the desert, but you make due with what you have.